Finding Home
by Reidluver
Summary: As they settled in for the night after being rescued by the Eagles, Bilbo is startled to learn of Thorin's relationship to Fili and Kili. His perception of the stern dwarf is changed, and as the night drags on, Bilbo comes to the realization that he is not as lost as he originally believed.


It took the rest of the day and some of the night to come down from the mountain they were dropped on by the Eagles. Bilbo couldn't help but wish they could have at least dropped them a little closer to the ground—or even a little closer to the Lonely Mountain.

But he was a sensible hobbit and reminded himself that the Eagles had already done enough by saving them and most likely already took a week off their traveling time. Plus, Bilbo didn't want to sour the rather cheery mood that had befallen all of them. It appeared his rather surprising _(even to himself!)_ act of bravery had done quite the spectacular job of winning the respect of all the dwarves—a fact Bilbo couldn't help but feel almost teary about. Despite his earlier reluctance to participate on this unexpected adventure, Bilbo had begun to grow fond of the dwarf company. It had irked him that some of them didn't feel the same—chief among them being Thorin.

It wasn't Bilbo's fault he lacked the honed skills of a swordsman or the endurance required to hike for days on end! He was a hobbit mind you, and as he told Gandalf hobbits weren't accustomed to any sort of adventure, so pardon him if he weren't as quick as any of the others.

It appeared things had changed now on account of Thorin's earlier embrace. Bilbo had truly never been more shocked in his life than he was in that moment; it was greater than his shock at discovering Gandalf expected him to become a_ burglar_ of all things!

Once the shock wore off, Bilbo returned the hug and could feel the smile break out on Thorin's face, causing one of his own to form. When Thorin pulled away and clasped his arms for a moment as he looked at the ground, Bilbo looked out to the rest of the company. His smile grew when his eyes settled on Bofur. The dwarf inclined his head with a warm and proud smile of his own. As the dwarves then made their way over, Gandalf came to Bilbo's side and leaned in to whisper, "Did I not say that you had a lot to offer, my dear hobbit?" He winked at Bilbo's blush before they both moved to stand beside Thorin and gaze at the Lonely Mountain in the distance.

Since then, as they made their way down the mountain, nearly all the other dwarves clapped him on the back and offered many words of praise and encouragement. It was quite the nice change, Bilbo had to say. Quite a peculiar way to gain trust and respect, but who was he to argue with dwarf culture?

Now that they had reached the base of the mountain the company decided to set up camp. They ignored the way Thorin all but collapsed where they stopped, wincing at his wounds. Wordlessly the other dwarves went about making a fire, making beds, and preparing dinner. Oin walked to Thorin's side and worked on dressing the wounds Gandalf's magic skipped over in favor of treating the more serious one.

Bilbo was walking a little ways from the camp collecting firewood. Gandalf had already gotten a small one going by aid of his magic, but they would need more fuel to last them the rest of the night. Already he could see the faint light start to flicker out. The adrenaline from the earlier fight had faded by now, and Bilbo hastened his efforts so as to not be alone away from camp.

A noise to his right nearly caused him to drop the load he had already gathered. He was unable to prevent a small gasp, but to his relief it was only Fili and Kili. They also had a bundle of wood in their arms.

"Oh good—didn't see you two go off earlier." Bilbo gave a nervous laugh before clearing his throat. "Well then I suppose this'll make the job go a lot quicker."

"We've been meaning to say something to you, Master Baggins," Fili began, his voice serious and solemn. His brother Kili was at his side with an expression that matched his. Bilbo blinked at the unusual behavior from the pair and nodded slowly. It was rather unnerving to see them this way. He had seen them look serious during battles of course, but there was always an edge of excitement in their gaze. It was not so now.

Now there was a sort of . . . guilt or disappointment in their eyes and Bilbo's mind raced for an answer. Had he somehow shamed them by saving Thorin?

Bilbo licked his lips and asked, "So um—what is it? You know you can uh . . . tell me whatever it is you . . . I won't mind." Bilbo shifted from foot to foot and drummed his fingers on the wood he carried.

The two brothers glanced at each other for a moment as though collecting their thoughts. Bilbo couldn't help but marvel at the sight. The two dwarves fascinated him in their closeness. They were always at each other's side which led Bilbo to believe they were twins at first.

It seemed a decision was made and the two dwarves refocused their attention to him.

"We offer our sincerest gratitude for rescuing Thorin—" Fili began.

" —and to say we are in your debt for protecting our uncle when we could not," Kili said. His jaw clenched when he finished and Fili's back straightened at the same time. Then as one unit they gave a low bow to Bilbo, to the point where they were almost kneeling.

Bilbo's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed at the display. He was a simple hobbit and didn't need the other's behaving so formally around him. Smiles and kind words were one thing—but _this?_

"I-it's quite all right, no need to be doing any of that!" Bilbo shrieked. Were his hands not carrying a bundle of kindling he would have been waving them around frantically. "It was just easiest for me to get off the tree and—" He blinked hard as he fully registered what Kili had said.

"D-did you say _uncle?_ As in—as in Thorin?" Bilbo stammered. This time he did drop the wood he was carrying but made no motion to pick them up.

"Aye, he is our uncle," Fili said slowly, both he and his brother staring at the hobbit with a puzzled look. "When our father died he came over whenever he could to help our mother."

"He doesn't look it, but Thorin does have a gentle side, if you know where to look for it," Kili sniggered.

Fili looked to his brother and smiled. Then he turned back to Bilbo and his gaze grew more solemn. "This journey is a chance to repay the favor he has done us," Fili said, his voice soft and firm. "And it is because of your valor and bravery that he lives another day."

"Just full of surprises aren't you, Master Hobbit?" Kili said with a wink.

Bilbo chuckled. "Well, I'm just glad to be of service," he said once he found his voice. Fili and Kili grinned knowingly at his choice of words and bade him goodnight.

As he watched the dwarves walk back to camp, Bilbo hastily picked up the firewood he dropped, and his hands fumbled as he thought back to all the interactions between Thorin and his nephews. In hindsight it was obvious, but only slightly. He had originally attributed Thorin's extra focus to the lads' safety on account of their youth, but now Bilbo could see it was more than that.

An image of Thorin reading stories and spoon-feeding miniature versions of Fili and Kili popped into his head and Bilbo snorted. Uncle or not, it was hard to imagine _Thorin_ of all people being gentle like that. But the smile Thorin wore when he hugged him earlier . . .

Bilbo shook his head. No sense in wondering about it, and Bilbo was too tired to face the realization that he may have misjudged the stern dwarf. He could think about it in the morning.

He made his way back to camp and just stared at the company for a moment. His gaze softened when his eyes fell on Thorin, whose nephews were gathered around him. Fili was redressing the bandages around Thorin with great care, while in front, Kili was telling some sort of story with wild gesticulations. His face was lit up with an almost childish glee and it was made clear now to Bilbo why the young dwarf was always so eager to impress. Bilbo couldn't make out the words, but it was obviously having the effect it was supposed to. His smile grew fond as Thorin visibly relaxed and his ever-present growl seemed to completely disappear.

Bofur turned and noticed Bilbo off to the side after Bifur pointed in his direction. "Come on, Bilbo! Saved a seat for you!" He patted the ground beside him and Bilbo rushed forward when everyone's attention turned to him.

"Ah, thank you, Bilbo," Gandalf said as he deposited his bundle of kindling into the pile Fili and Kili had already made. "Now we shall have enough to last us the night."

Bofur all but yanked the hobbit down to sit beside him before handing him his share of dinner, which Bilbo ate as fast as he could without appearing rude. He could now understand why it was said that battle increased one's appetite. When he had finished, Bofur took his bowl to give to whoever was doing the dishes, and Ori stepped forward cautiously.

"Excuse me, Mister Bilbo," the young dwarf began slowly, "but could you tell us about how you fought the orcs?"

All the dinner chatter had ended and Bilbo became keenly aware that everyone's attention was focused entirely on him. He coughed and adjusted the way he was sitting, taking care to only look at Ori.

"Well I uh . . . I'm not really that good at telling stories," he admitted, "so perhaps someone else could do better—"

"Nonsense, Bilbo!" Bofur laughed as he clapped Bilbo on the back. "You'll do fine."

"And I always enjoy hearing your stories about the Shire!" Ori said, leaning forward eagerly. "I think you're a fine storyteller."

Bilbo flushed and felt himself at a loss of what to do. It was true that he loved telling stories about the Shire to the interested young dwarf and felt he did right by his people, but this was an entirely different matter. He was brought up as a humble hobbit and to tell a story highlighting his heroic deed would feel an awful lot like bragging. He looked to Gandalf for help but the wizard merely chuckled and blew from his pipe.

Without really meaning to, Bilbo found himself glancing at Thorin, who by now had Fili and Kili sitting close beside him on either side. The dwarf gave him a small smile with laughter in his eyes and gave him a small nod. "It is your tale to tell, Bilbo."

Endowed with Thorin's blessing, Bilbo acquiesced and began his tale, gaining more and more courage with each passing minute. Ori hung onto his every word, Gandalf listened with a wide and proud grin, Dwalin would nod his head every so often, and Oin leaned closer to better hear with his makeshift ear trumpet.

It wasn't too long of a tale, but some of the dwarves asked questions of him and added their own recollections of the event, mostly teasing Bilbo in a good-humored way.

"And the way he swung his sword in front of Azog—he looked like a dwarfling at their first sparring practice!" Dwalin laughed heartily.

Gloin chuckled. "You've really never brandished a sword before, have you, lad?"

Bilbo gave an embarrassed chuckle and nodded. "Can't say that I've ever found the need to in the Shire."

"Then we shall teach you," Thorin said, his deep voice soft but it carried throughout the camp. Bilbo fought the urge to snicker when the action caused Kili to jostle awake from where he had been dozing against his uncle's shoulder. It was a rather adorable image Bilbo had to say.

"We will all take turns teaching you when we take breaks for sparring," Thorin continued, and Bilbo couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement in anticipation. A small part of his mind was horrified as his sudden change of heart, but Bilbo found he couldn't quite bring himself to care anymore. He had already killed an orc and warg today—there was no more time for balking.

"Aye, you'd be a bigger danger to yourself with a sword you don't know how to wield, laddie," Balin said. "And with that, I believe it's time we all got some shut-eye."

No one argued with that, and they all set about rolling out their bedrolls while Bombur took first watch. Bilbo chatted with Bofur as they settled in for the night, and Bilbo noticed Ori furiously scribbling away in his little book. Dori tried to get him to get to bed, but the younger dwarf held out a hand, his tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Bilbo's heart warmed at the sight and resolved to do more with the small dwarf—perhaps even teach him a thing or two about the art of throwing stones. If the poor lad's slingshot ever broke Bilbo wanted to be sure he could still defend himself adequately.

Once Bilbo was settled in, he spent a few moments just staring up at the stars, unable to go to sleep just yet, despite his sore muscles screaming at him to do so. It was just that so much had happened in the last few hours, and Bilbo almost unconsciously put his hand in his pocket to finger the strange ring he had found. He couldn't help but be wary of it, for a magic ring was nothing to dismiss, but Bilbo could see the potential in it.

He was still expected to do something about this dragon Smaug, and a ring that made him invisible would certainly come in handy. Bilbo decided the best thing to do was to keep it a secret for now and use it to aid his companions. Then once the journey was over he would ask Gandalf for advice.

By now he could hear the snores of his companions, and Bilbo couldn't resist sitting up to look at them all. He was proud to say he felt closer to all of them, and he no longer felt like an outsider but more like family. No longer did he experience regret for setting out on this adventure, but rather a great enthusiasm for the unknown things ahead.

The company as a whole was sleeping in closer quarters than they normally did, which Bilbo knew they would argue was for the warmth, but he knew better. And it's not as if he blamed them—the whole lot of them was a mixture of brothers and cousins, and it was a miracle none of them had perished yet. Dori and Nori each had a possessive arm around Ori and Bilbo remembered having seen the young one fall from the tree earlier. Dwalin and Balin were sleeping closer together as were Oin and Gloin, and even Bifur was curled up on his side as close as he could get to Bofur without being obvious.

He glanced up to meet Bombur's eyes and the pair smiled at each other. Bombur then returned to brushing his beard and taking out all the twigs and leaves that had gotten entangled throughout the long day's journey.

Bilbo's final glance was in the direction of Thorin, Fili, and Kili, and he was unable to suppress a small chuckle at the sight. It seemed not even Thorin could escape the fierce protectiveness that had settled over the company, for he was still flanked on both sides by his nephews. They were curled up next to him like children seeking comfort from a parent during a thunderstorm. With a more subdued air, Bilbo realized it was exactly what they were doing.

He recalled the pain in their eyes when they spoke of the possibility of losing their uncle, and Bilbo suddenly found himself immensely grateful that he had the courage to have done with he did earlier—if only for their sakes. He looked closer and noticed that both Fili and Kili had a hand tightly fisted around Thorin's coat. Bilbo was unable to prevent the small lump that formed in his throat at the childish display _(especially from Fili, who always seemed to do his best to conduct himself in such a mature way)._

_What had their life been like?_ he wondered. _Or any of the other dwarves for that matter_? Oh he had heard a fair number of heroic and hilarious stories, but he knew enough about dwarves to understand they didn't bother telling stories about their more personal hardships—at least to outsiders.

He had a faint idea from the stories of how they had their home ripped from them by Smaug and were then forced to travel Middle Earth without a home, but there was certainly more to it than that. Aside from the harsh words toward his family because of his father's decision to marry a Took, Bilbo knew he lived a bit of a sheltered life. There was no need to feel guilty for it, but Bilbo felt a brief twinge of regret for not being a little more hospitable when they had arrived at Bag-End, though he could hardly be blamed for reacting the way he did.

Was that the first time in a long while any of them had been in such a nice home? _(Because yes while Bilbo was a humble hobbit he was by no means daft and knew Bag End was one of the lovelier hobbit dwellings out there)_ Bilbo had handed out as many quilts and blankets as he could spare to make it a little easier for his uninvited guests to sleep, but having a roof over their heads might have been enough for them.

Gandalf had a tendency to go off on the stubbornness of dwarves and while Bilbo agreed with the wizard in some instances _(chiefly concerning matters with the elves),_ Bilbo realized that it was their stubbornness that kept them going despite all the odds that had been thrown against them. Part of the reason the dwarves were such a hardy race was because they had to be, and Bilbo never thought he'd have as much respect for them as he did in that moment.

Bilbo's desire to help the dwarves reclaim their homeland returned in full force. They were no longer a large group of strangers that appeared on his doorstep out of the blue on some foolhardy mission—but a family searching for their home and place to call their own. He was honored to be a part of it, and made a mental note to thank Gandalf for dragging him along.

Thorin shifted in his sleep and his hands reached up to rest on top of his nephews. Bilbo then tore his gaze from the family, feeling like he was encroaching on their intimate moment. He was by now feeling rather emotional and mentally scolded himself. That was enough of that for one day, though Bilbo couldn't help but store the images away for another time when he knew he would need the strength.

The hobbit curled under his blanket for warmth and shuffled closer to Bofur, feeling himself strangely in need of the comfort. He then drifted off into a restful sleep with the sound and reassurance of his companions all around him.

For the first time since he set out on his journey and left Bag End—Bilbo felt at home.


End file.
